Re: [council] DRAFT text of letter from Council to Board RE: singular and plural new gTLD applications

[Zahid Jamil <zahid@xxxxxxxxx>]

Like the letter.  In addition would it be useful to characterise the outcome an 
error?



Best regards, 

Zahid Jamil
Barrister-at-law
Jamil & Jamil
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Sent from my iPad

On 11 Apr 2013, at 11:40, john@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> All,
> Here is my take on the text of a letter from Jonathan to Steve on the subject 
> of singular and plural new gTLD applications as we agreed ought to be written 
> and sent.
> Cheers,
> Berard
> In the course of our meetings this week in Beijing, we have heard and share 
> the concerns expressed about the undesirable consequences of allowing both 
> singular and plural forms of the same word to be delegated in the news gTLD 
> program.  
> On the basis of policy recommendations of the Council to avoid consumer 
> confusion, this letter asks for clarity on why that policy was, effectively, 
> set aside by the panelist that ICANN enrolled to conduct string similarity 
> tests.
> Specifically, in the new gTLD Report that was adopted by the GNSO Council was 
> “Recommendation 2 Discussion -- Strings must not be confusingly similar to an 
> existing top-level domain” (see 
> http://gnso.icann.org/en/issues/new-gtlds/pdp-dec05-fr-parta-08aug07.htm). 
> The effect of singular and plurals is already embedded in practice. Note that 
> WIPO mediation rules include this: “Words used in the singular include the 
> plural and vice versa, as the context may require.”
> At a minimum, the Council requests fuller disclosure about the process by 
> which the panelist made their determination and why the Board accepted this 
> variance from existing practice and gTLD policy.  
> Greater transparency will help the Council evaluate whether the criteria for 
> string similarity were properly conveyed to the panelist, whether the 
> panelist followed that policy advice and how we can address the concerns of 
> the community.
> 
>